allegation was not raised before the Donetsk regional court and that the author made the allegation only when he filed his application for judicial review. The Committee notes that, in its judgement, the Supreme Court considered the allegation and decided that it was unfounded. The Committee recalls that it is generally for the courts of State parties to the Covenant, and not for the Committee, to evaluate facts and evidence in a particular case, unless it is apparent that the courts’ decisions are manifestly arbitrary or amount to a denial of justice. However, nothing in the information brought to the attention of the Committee concerning this matter shows that the decisions of the Ukrainian courts or the behaviour of the competent authorities were arbitrary or amounted to a denial of justice. This part of the communication is therefore inadmissible under article 3 of the Optional Protocol. Issues and proceedings before the Committee Decision on admissibility 6.1 Before considering any claims contained in a communication, the Human Rights Committee must, in accordance with rule 87 of its rules of procedure, decide whether or not it is admissible under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant. 6.2 The Committee has ascertained that the same matter is not being examined under another procedure of international investigation or settlement for purposes of article 5, paragraph 2 (a), of the Optional Protocol. 6.3 The Committee notes that the author filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Ukraine, which confirmed the decision of the inferior court, and that the State party has not argued that the author has not exhausted domestic remedies. The Committee therefore considers that the author has met the requirements of article 5, paragraph 2 (b), of the Optional Protocol. 6.7 With regard to the author’s allegations that he was denied a fair trial because the brother of one of the deceased was chief of the police station where he underwent his first interrogations, the Committee notes, first, that nothing in the documents before it leads it to conclude that these allegations were brought before the competent national authorities. Secondly, with regard to the author’s claim that the charges against him were inconsistent, that the presentation of the facts by the police and the public prosecutor were biased, that the court only heard witnesses for the prosecution, and that the judges were obviously biased, the Committee considers that these allegations have not been sufficiently substantiated for the purposes of admissibility. Consequently, the Committee declares this part of the communication inadmissible under article 2 of the Optional Protocol. 6.4 With regard to the author’s allegation that during their detention he and his wife were subjected to inhuman treatment by police officers in order to force them to testify against themselves, the Committee notes that the author submitted the communication on his own behalf, without indicating that he had been authorized to act on his wife’s behalf and without explaining whether or not his wife was able to submit her own complaint. Pursuant to paragraph 1 of the Optional Protocol and rule 90 (b) of its rules of procedure, the Committee decides that it will consider only the author’s complaint. 6.5 With regard to the author’s allegation that the court sentenced him to death without taking account of the fact that articles 3 and 28 of the Ukrainian Constitution of 1996 had abolished capital punishment, the Committee notes that it was only as a consequence of the Constitutional Court’s decision of 29 December 1999 and the Parliament’s amendment of the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure on 22 February 2000 that the State party abolished capital punishment, that is, after a final decision had been taken in the case. The Committee therefore considers that, for the purposes of admissibility, the author has not substantiated his allegation that the imposition of the death sentence in 1997 took place after the State party had abolished capital punishment. This part of the communication is therefore inadmissible under article 2 of the Optional Protocol. 6.8 The author has also alleged that his case record was tampered with in order to conceal procedural errors; the Committee notes that the author has not indicated whether or not he presented these allegations to the competent national authorities. Moreover, he has not maintained that his case record was falsified. The Committee is therefore of the view that this allegation has not been substantiated for the purposes of admissibility and is inadmissible under article 2 of the Optional Protocol. 6.9 With regard to the author’s allegation that his application for judicial review had been illegally rejected by the regional court, the Committee notes that the Supreme Court of Ukraine considered his appeal and confirmed the decision of the regional court on 17 July 1997, and that a copy of the decision has been furnished by the State party. Without any other relevant information concerning the examination of the author’s application for judicial review, the Committee is of the view that this part of the communication is inadmissible under article 2 of the Optional Protocol. 6.6 The Committee notes that the author states, concerning his allegations of ill-treatment and torture, that on 31 January 1997 he complained to a procurator who advised him to make his allegations during the trial. The State party claims that this 70